CATRIONA CAMPBELL – the creative tourism marketing specialisthttps://catrionacampbell.wordpress.com
Mon, 05 Feb 2018 06:47:17 +0000enhourly1http://wordpress.com/https://secure.gravatar.com/blavatar/c26bc5931de7c330fd481a8dadda5913?s=96&d=https%3A%2F%2Fs2.wp.com%2Fi%2Fbuttonw-com.pngCATRIONA CAMPBELL – the creative tourism marketing specialisthttps://catrionacampbell.wordpress.com
Summer’s ‘almost’ over and #CreateinKent virtual Tweetup is back!https://catrionacampbell.wordpress.com/2016/09/05/summers-almost-over-and-createinkent-virtual-tweetup-is-back/
https://catrionacampbell.wordpress.com/2016/09/05/summers-almost-over-and-createinkent-virtual-tweetup-is-back/#respondMon, 05 Sep 2016 12:22:30 +0000http://catrionacampbell.wordpress.com/?p=1273Read More Summer’s ‘almost’ over and #CreateinKent virtual Tweetup is back!]]>I hope you’ve enjoyed the summer and the gorgeous weather while it lasted. I’ve been lucky enough to travel around the north of England and Scotland, doing my bit for British tourism, and encountering some very creative people on my way. Highlights included a visit to the stunning gardens at Crathes Castle, a thirty minute drive from Aberdeen, and a fabulous meal at Buchanans, close by in Banchory, “a hub of informal creativity. I also visited Perth and Glasgow for the first time and enjoyed the Lighthouse, Scotland’s Centre for Design and Architecture, the perfect place to begin a Charles Rennie Mackintosh tour of Glasgow. We were also lucky to stay in Bamburgh on the Northumberland coast and enjoyed the beautiful white sand beaches in glorious sunshine.

I now have a distinctly ‘back to school’ feeling and thought it might be a good time to resurrect #createinkent, to help people in Kent share their creativity and news in real time with anyone interested in creativity, wherever they live in the world.

Whether you’re an artist, writer, photographer, musician, chef or gardener, whatever your creative passion, please join in to share your news and spread the word to other creative people who you think might enjoy the virtual meet up.

It’s been over a year since the last #createinkent and you can read about why I started the virtual tweetup here. If you haven’t joined in before it’s very easy. Just follow me at @escapetocreate from 20.00 to 21.00 on Monday evenings and use the #createinkent hashtag to share your creative news.

Once again the #createinkent tweetups are sponsored by the very creative, Whitstable based, Spacemaker Architects.

I’ve enjoyed working with Francesca Baur in her Whitstable silk screen printing studio and meeting up with some of the many creative people who live and work on the Kent coast. People like Chel Esteva Negus who took some fabulous photos for my recent ‘significant’ birthday party at Whitstable Castle and the incredibly talented Richard Navarro who played at same party.

In the future I’m also going to be involved in a very exciting project that aims to help people create and build their own houses in Kent – more of that another time!

If you’d like some help to promote your art or creative business you can find out how I work here.

]]>https://catrionacampbell.wordpress.com/2016/09/05/summers-almost-over-and-createinkent-virtual-tweetup-is-back/feed/0catrionacampbellAn opportunity to meet creative and tourism professionals #createinkenthttps://catrionacampbell.wordpress.com/2013/11/18/who-is-getting-involved-with-createinkent/
https://catrionacampbell.wordpress.com/2013/11/18/who-is-getting-involved-with-createinkent/#respondMon, 18 Nov 2013 11:38:02 +0000http://catrionacampbell.wordpress.com/?p=943Read More An opportunity to meet creative and tourism professionals #createinkent]]>I started and led the #createinkent virtual Tweetup to bring together creative people with tourism people in Kent, to encourage collaboration and to help more people increase their audience, whether for their creative work or tourism business.

It was a quick and easy way to make new connections and to share ideas remotely and you can read more about it here.

It certainly captured people’s attention and every week new people joined in, not just those located in Kent but people interested in visiting.

If you are new to Twitter and would like some help to make the most of the time you spend there I run regular group workshops or can provide one-one training.

]]>https://catrionacampbell.wordpress.com/2013/11/18/who-is-getting-involved-with-createinkent/feed/0catrionacampbellWhat’s the #createinkent virtual Tweet up all about?https://catrionacampbell.wordpress.com/2013/09/16/whats-kentcreativetourism-tweet-up-all-about/
https://catrionacampbell.wordpress.com/2013/09/16/whats-kentcreativetourism-tweet-up-all-about/#respondMon, 16 Sep 2013 14:56:30 +0000http://catrionacampbell.wordpress.com/?p=837Read More What’s the #createinkent virtual Tweet up all about?]]>I started the #createinkent Tweetup on 18th September 2013. It’s a virtual meet-up in the twittersphere that usually takes place every Monday from 7.30 – 8.30pm (GMT). Just follow the hashtag #createinkent

The Tweetups are sponsored by Spacemaker Architects who offer one hour consultations in East Kent for a donation of £40 to 1 of 6 Kent based organisations doing good things.

If you’d like your brand to be associated with creativity in Kent and would like to sponsor a future Tweetup please contact me.

You might want to join in with #createinkent if you;

work in the tourism industry in Kent and are interested in finding out how to collaborate with creative people (who run art, craft, cookery workshops etc) to attract more visitors to your accommodation, attraction, museum, restaurant, shop etc

a venue in Kent where creative events take place and would like more vistors

organise creative happenings e.g art exhibitions and festivals, theatrical events, art, cookery,dance workshops that you think will appeal to the visitor market i.e. have the potential to bring people to your event from another town in Kent, from outside the county or even from a different country

want to run a creative event in Kent and are not sure if there is a market for your idea

are interested in visiting Kent to enjoy a creative break

People often say to me that they’re not creative but I believe most people are. I use the word creative to describe visual and performing artists; crafters, designers, sculptors, cartoonists, animators, musicians, writers, dancers, singers, actors and chefs, cooks, gardeners and florists.

The #kentcreativetourism tweet up won’t be for everyone but come along with an open mind, some questions and some ideas about how more of us can collaborate for the benefit of all.

if you’re considering visiting Kent please join in with #createinkent Tweetup as there will be lots of tweeters on-line who can give you ideas about creative happenings coming up in the next month and ideas for places to stay. I’d love you to visit Kent to enjoy a creative pursuit with a local creative person in a distinctive venue and to stay overnight in good quality accommodation, whether it’s a luxury hotel, apartment, B&B or more modest setting.

If you’ve been following me for a while you’ll know that I am a passionate advocate for creative tourism. I’ve been doing my best to encourage people to visit Kent’s coastal towns to enjoy a creative pursuit by regularly tweeting about creative happenings, writing the occasional blog and sending out a regular e-newsletter. I’ve even organised a few creative events, through Escape to Create and for Kent’s Coastal Week.

]]>https://catrionacampbell.wordpress.com/2013/09/16/whats-kentcreativetourism-tweet-up-all-about/feed/0catrionacampbellIs there a market for evening cafe culture in Kent’s coastal towns?https://catrionacampbell.wordpress.com/2013/01/10/is-there-a-market-for-evening-cafe-culture-in-kents-coastal-towns/
https://catrionacampbell.wordpress.com/2013/01/10/is-there-a-market-for-evening-cafe-culture-in-kents-coastal-towns/#commentsThu, 10 Jan 2013 16:15:01 +0000http://catrionacampbell.wordpress.com/?p=741Read More Is there a market for evening cafe culture in Kent’s coastal towns?]]>Much is being written, by people more knowledgeable than me (like Dan Thomson who runs the empty shops network ) about how to turn the problem of empty shops in our high streets into an opportunity. As someone who is involved in the tourism industry I’m also keen to see that our high streets don’t die but evolve into places that people want to visit. I have a personal interest in encouraging Kent’s coastal high streets to thrive as I live in Whitstable on the Kent coast and am a regular visitor to other coastal towns nearby, including, Rochester, Faversham, Herne Bay, Margate, Ramsgate, Deal and Folkestone. I also run the Kent’s Creative Coast campaign to encourage people to visit and stay in Kent’s coastal towns to enjoy creative activities and happenings.

Earlier this week I started a conversation on twitter by saying that I thought late night opening could help Kent’s coastal towns survive and thrive. I was encouraged by how many independent traders responded saying that they thought that this was a good idea. I’d now like to know if people would be interested in going out in the evening in Kent’s coastal towns to enjoy a type of cafe culture commonly found in ‘warmer’ European towns like Italy’s *La Passeggiata.

If enough shop and venue owners and potential visitors are interested I’d be keen to try and make this happen with other local people, business and venue owners. Maybe we could encourage shops, cafes and arts venues to open late on Friday evenings in the summer or try to tie in with Turner Contemporary’s monthly late night live openings in Margate. Other venues like Creek Creative in Faversham, the Horsebridge in Whitstable and the Astor Theatre in Deal or the Creative Quarter in Folkestone might also be interested in taking the lead on this? You might be a creative person who would be interested in staging a creative happening or event in a shop or cafe or restaurant. You might own a shop or run a venue. You might be someone who never ventures out in the evening but would do so if you thought there was something happening on the street. Whoever you are and whatever your idea I’d be love to know what you think. Please add your comment here or contact me; catriona @ create in kent dot co dot uk

]]>https://catrionacampbell.wordpress.com/2013/01/10/is-there-a-market-for-evening-cafe-culture-in-kents-coastal-towns/feed/38catrionacampbellPassionate about the power of Twitterhttps://catrionacampbell.wordpress.com/2012/11/09/passionate-about-the-power-of-twitter/
https://catrionacampbell.wordpress.com/2012/11/09/passionate-about-the-power-of-twitter/#commentsFri, 09 Nov 2012 22:39:21 +0000http://catrionacampbell.wordpress.com/?p=699Read More Passionate about the power of Twitter]]>I love Twitter. There I’ve said it.

I’ve always been the kind of person who sent e-mails (and notes and letters in the olden days) saying ‘Have you seen this?’, ‘Do you know about x?’, ‘I think you’d really get along well with Y’ and so Twitter is just perfect for me.

I love the opportunity it gives to individuals to have a louder voice; the fact that it is so easy to connect to people with similar values and interests and the way it is helping to create new platforms for people with really interesting things to say. Twitter is also being used by people who already have a loud voice, like Barak Obama who announced his victory in the US presidential elections on Twitter. His ‘Four more years’ tweet is likely to be the most retweeted tweet to date!

Not everyone I ‘meet’ on Twitter is someone I’d want to meet in person and not everything I read on Twitter is interesting but I’m prepared to put up with spam followers (who are easy to block) and the occasional rubbish tweet in my timeline as the upside is that I have learnt so much and connected with some wonderful people, both on and off-line, as a result of being on Twitter. These people not only live in my home town of Whitstable – which has a fantastic, highly engaged tweeting community, but also much further afield in the UK and overseas.

I’m really passionate about encouraging as many people as possible to use Twitter to help promote their business too. I’ve seen the power of this social networking platform for my business and get all of my marketing consultancy work as a result of my Twitter presence these days. As @escapetocreate I mainly tweet about creative pursuits and happenings taking place in Kent’s coastal towns and Canterbury and encourage people to visit these destinations. I’m building the Kent’s Creative Coast brand amongst target audiences, plus an extensive mailing list, at no cost, apart from my time. In October 2011, working with poet Dan Simpson I used Twitter to encourage people to tell us what they loved about the Kent coast, as part of Kent’s Coastal Week and Dan then produced a poem using our followers’ responses. You can hear Dan read the poem here.

I’ve been running lots of Twitter training workshops in Kent; for people involved in the tourism industry; for artists and performers, writers and other creative professionals; shop and restaurant owners; social enterprise owners, school marketing execs and even for someone working at a cathedral. I also provide one-to one tuition for senior managers who want to stay ahead of their teams on request.

If you’d like to find out how to make the most of your presence on Twitter send me an e-mail catriona@createinkent.co.uk and I’ll send you the details about dates and venues for my workshops in 2014. They’ll be highly interactive and good fun too. You’ll find out why being a good listener is as important as being a good tweeter and why being successful on Twitter is not about getting the highest number of followers.

You can also read what some participants have said about my training on the ‘Testimonials’ page on this site.

]]>https://catrionacampbell.wordpress.com/2012/11/09/passionate-about-the-power-of-twitter/feed/2catrionacampbellWhat is the #365creativechallenge?https://catrionacampbell.wordpress.com/2011/01/06/what-is-the-365creativechallenge/
https://catrionacampbell.wordpress.com/2011/01/06/what-is-the-365creativechallenge/#commentsThu, 06 Jan 2011 23:00:05 +0000http://catrionacampbell.wordpress.com/?p=662Read More What is the #365creativechallenge?]]>The #365creativechallenge is a twitter campaign I started on 1st January 2011. Its aim is to encourage you to take up the challenge to participate in at least one creative activity every day, for 365 days, and to tweet what you do using the hash tag #365creativechallenge.

It’s hard to find the time to be creative and to tweet every day so don’t feel that you have to! Maybe just challenge yourself to tweet 365 times over a two or three year period.

I decided to start the campaign as I wanted to do more creative activities in 2011 and by challenging myself – very publicly on twitter – I think it will help me do this! I’d also like to get the hashtag #365creativechallenge trending on twitter to show how important creativity is in our lives. It should also help bring creative people together.

I’d also love it if everyone living and working in towns and villages on or near Kent’s coast (in south east England) could take up the challenge to show just how creative this part of the world (where I live) is. If you can squeeze #kentcreativecoast onto your tweet as well that will be great!

The campaign seems to be capturing people’s imagination and already lots of people are starting to tweet about their creative activities every day using the hash tag #365creativechallenge.

If you are a creative practitioner, work in the ‘creative industries’ or are a student on a creative course it should be easy for you to take up this challenge. If you aren’t any of these I’m hoping it might provide you with the inspiration to get a bit more creative!

I know I’m at my happiest doing creative things and so, in 2011, I’m planning to get up an hour earlier every day so that I can enjoy at least one creative activity every day whilst also doing my work that pays the bills.

Creativity for me includes drawing and painting, playing the piano, cooking, gardening and writing. It will mean different things for you.

There are no prizes. Sorry.

You can start whenever you like. It’s your challenge.

So go on, start tweeting about the creative activity you undertake each day and use #365creativechallege

If you aren’t already using http://www.tweetdeck.com I’d suggest you download it as you can then create a column to follow #365creativechallenge

I look forward to reading your tweets.

PS If you are reading this blog and have no idea how to use Twitter send me an e-mail at catriona@createinkent.co.uk and I can send you some tips.

The document is useful and important, in terms of setting a context and goal to aim for but, as Sir Terry himself says ‘this vision will only be realised if people support it, feel ownership of it and engage with it.’

This is the real challenge.

With the growth in social networking comes the increasing realisation that we, as individuals, have a responsibility and the power to make things happen more than at any time in history – well in my history at any rate!

My vision for Kent’s Creative Coast

So, I have been prompted to write about my vision for Kent’s Creative Coast and how it would support many of the ambitions outlined in the Farrell blueprint, particularly the one that aims to use culture as one of the ways to position the Kent coast as the ‘the UK’s most distinctive and thriving coast by 2030.’

I want Kent’s coast to become known as the place in the UK where people can be creative, engage with creative people, and enjoy creative places and events. (I deliberately use the term creative rather than cultural as I believe it has much wider appeal.)

I want this to happen because I am passionate about Kent’s coast and want others to discover the creativity that exists here alongside the beautiful beaches, working harbours and stunning sunsets. I also believe it will be good for the economy and bring much needed work to the coastal towns.

Many exciting creative places and events can already be found on or close to Kent’s Coast

But how many people know about what’s happening on Kent’s Creative Coast?

We should not get carried away thinking that everyone knows what’s happening. Most people are concerned with a very small part of their world. Outside of Kent few people know about the exciting creative communities of artists that exist in every Kentish coastal town. Many graduated from the University of Creative Arts (which has 3 campuses in Kent) or others have been drawn to the coast by the opportunity to live by the sea, to live amongst like minded people in interesting distinctive towns, whilst still being close to London.

What is also less well known is that many of these visual and performing artists do not make a living from their creative practice. Also, with the likely reduction in public funding for the arts, this is a situation that is not going to improve in the short term.

It’s wonderful that you can already find interesting independent shops selling local arts and crafts, wonderful galleries and vibrant music, art and theatrical venues on the Kent coast. The new Turner Gallery and the arts led regeneration of our coastal towns will also add to the creative buzz but we must not overestimate how many new visitors to Kent they will attract. Kent faces stiff competition, not only from London but also from other parts of the country and the rest of the world.

Successful destinations provide differentiation and local distinctiveness and I believe Kent’s coast can provide just that if we encourage and support all those talented creative people living and working here to pass on their skills if they wish to.

I want to see more opportunities where people can meet and learn from local artists and take home not only a wonderful memory but also a unique souvenir, by developing creative tourism along the coast. Creative workshops also provide something for people to actively participate in. This is particularly good if visiting the coast on a wet day in February.

Who wants to participate in creative activities?

I know that there is a market of people who want to learn what these creative people could teach. They are called creative tourists or visitors. They don’t want to sign up for an evening class or lengthy course but they do want to be taken away from their daily routines, even if only for a short time. They want to learn in a setting that is welcoming and distinctive, that possibly will combine the learning with an overnight stay and they need to be able to book easily.

They might be people who have brought up a family and now have more time to indulge their creative side. They could be creative professionals looking to add another dimension to their practice. They could be a group of girlfriends who want a short break and something to do as well as shopping eating and drinking.

Creative pursuits appeal to local peple too

There are many people living in the coastal towns who would not be motivated to attend any event if it had the word culture attached to it. However, I believe they would want to participate in creative activities if they are organised in distinctive venues and settings and provide them with a new skill in an enjoyable and supportive environment and a memento from the day.

My research and experience is that there are many creative people who lack the skills and confidence to develop creative workshops and limited knowledge and means to promote them. With training they could. My plan is to provide this training for those artists who wish to extend their creative practice, by helping them to develop creative workshops that will appeal to local people and visitors from other parts of Kent and further afield.

I am not proposing replacing qualified teachers of creative subjects who do an excellent job in educational establishments and other settings. I am talking about providing a very different experience to that found in schools and adult education classes. An experience that people will be prepared to pay for and which will complement the existing and planned cultural venues, creative events and activities (as outlined in the KCC/Farrell Vision for Kent).

Visit Kent, the official tourism body, responsible for promoting tourism in Kent has been very supportive in helping me to start communicating with artists and tourism providers who are interested in developing creative tourism products and funded a workshop attended by almost 100 creative and tourism professionals in November 2009. They are also keen to see creative tourism products developed and if you are already running creative workshops on Kent’s coast that combine overnight accommodation with a creative pursuit do please send me details for possible inclusion in the Creative Coast area of the Visit Kent website.

Want more information?

If you’d like more information about how my vision for Kent’s Creative Coast can be realised please send brief details about your involvement in creative activities on the Kent coast to catriona@createinkent.co.uk

I’d also like to hear from you if you are an artist interested in developing creative workshops. The more evidence I can gather that this training is wanted will be really helpful.

In a future of reduced public spending I believe that it is important that some of what is left should be used to help people become more self reliant and this is what my training would facilitate.

If you like and support my ideas please pass them on.

So to KCC and Sir Terry Farrell; I hope you will be pleased that I share your vision and am doing my bit to make it happen!

]]>https://catrionacampbell.wordpress.com/2010/02/05/my-vision-for-kents-creative-coast/feed/7catrionacampbell#TWhitmeet for home business ownershttps://catrionacampbell.wordpress.com/2010/01/19/twhitmeet-for-home-business-owners/
https://catrionacampbell.wordpress.com/2010/01/19/twhitmeet-for-home-business-owners/#respondTue, 19 Jan 2010 15:12:32 +0000http://catrionacampbell.wordpress.com/?p=627Read More #TWhitmeet for home business owners]]>If you work from home in Whitstable or nearby there will be a #TWhitmeet in Chives Café at The Horsebridge Arts Centre this Friday 22 Jan from 2-3 pm.

This is not a business networking meeting in the traditional sense but hopefully will provide the opportunity for people to make connections, share ideas and inspiration and provide motivation for one another. I love being my own boss but need and like to meet people regularly, to discuss my ideas and to get feed-back and to hear what other people are planning. If you feel the same and you’d like to come, please do, and don’t worry about coming alone.

I originally decided to organise as a way of meeting some of the people I’ve met through Twitter but will also be inviting other creative people I’ve met locally who don’t tweet – yet! There is no agenda but please buy a cup of coffee or tea (and a cake if you’d like!) if you wish to join us.

I will write #TWhitmeet on piece of paper on my table so you will know where to sit! If lots of people turn up we will probably spill into the workshop room next to the café. There will also be a new art exhibition in the main gallery at The Horsebridge so do call in and have a look if you have time.

]]>https://catrionacampbell.wordpress.com/2010/01/19/twhitmeet-for-home-business-owners/feed/0catrionacampbellKent’s Creative Coasthttps://catrionacampbell.wordpress.com/2010/01/03/kents-creative-coast/
https://catrionacampbell.wordpress.com/2010/01/03/kents-creative-coast/#respondSun, 03 Jan 2010 11:52:15 +0000http://catrionacampbell.wordpress.com/?p=619Read More Kent’s Creative Coast]]>2010 will see the launch of my new blog ‘Kent’s Creative Coast’ where I will be writing about creative happenings along the wonderful Kentish Coast. If you are organising a creative event, that people can participate in e.g. an arts or crafts, drama, creative writing or cookery workshop, anywhere on or near Kent’s coast, please send the details to catriona at create in kent dot co dot uk.
]]>https://catrionacampbell.wordpress.com/2010/01/03/kents-creative-coast/feed/0catrionacampbellCreative tourism in Kent – workshop to bring together tourism and creative providershttps://catrionacampbell.wordpress.com/2009/09/29/planning-creative-tourism-workshop-to-bring-together-tourism-and-creative-providers/
https://catrionacampbell.wordpress.com/2009/09/29/planning-creative-tourism-workshop-to-bring-together-tourism-and-creative-providers/#commentsTue, 29 Sep 2009 11:41:22 +0000http://catrionacampbell.wordpress.com/?p=594Read More Creative tourism in Kent – workshop to bring together tourism and creative providers]]>October’s ‘Escape to Create in Whitstable’ is now over but I’m already planning the next one – watch this space! I’ve really enjoyed working with all the workshop leaders and have also met some wonderful people who escaped to create. I even found time to be creative myself and designed and printed a couple of bags at The Print Block , Whitstable’s newest creative venue.

I now need to fnalise my presentation for the creative tourism workshop I’m delivering for Visit Kent later this month. As regular readers know, I have been passionate about trying to develop creative tourism in Kent for a long time. I’m really pleased that Visit Kent are now well and truly supporting this initiative by working with me to run a creative tourism workshop that will bring together tourism providers, along Kent’s coast, wth creative people (working and living in Kent). The aim is to encourage people to work together to develop creative tourism products to add to the existing vibrant cultural offer that you can find along the Kent coast.

If you are a visual artist or crafter, with experience of running workshops or teaching adults in visual arts and crafts subjects, live or work in Kent, and are interested in participating please contact me.